Image: DIPR, Manipur

Manipur sports minister Letpao Haokip on Thursday assured rice for remote villages under his constituency along Indo-Myanmar border during the current critical times because of the COVID-19 lockdown, according to a press release.

Sports minister Lertpao visited the remote villages of Chandel district such as Khambarol, Khengjoi, Sajik Tampak Kana area and Sugnu Hill area to distribute rice and other essential items on Wednesday.

Apart from the rice distributed under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) schemes, the minister had arranged personally from his local MLA fund and some additional fund amounting to Rs nine lakhs to distribute rice to the 50,000-plus persons of his Chandel Assembly Constituency, the DIPR said in the release on Thursday.

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Ensuring rice to each and every person of the constituency free of cost, he added that even if the lockdown is extended for a longer period of time after May 3, he will ensure availability of rice for his people free of cost always.

During the visit, the minister revealed that apart from the existing quarantine centres, he will push the government to set up more quarantine facilities as the districts of Chandel and Tengnoupal is a high-risk area because of its close proximity with the international border.

It is worth mentioning that the remote villages lying along the Indo-Myanmar border and innermost recesses of Chandel and Tengnoupal have been facing extreme hardship to get essential commodities owing to the lockdown, it said.

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On the issue of shortages in terms of medical equipments and testing facilities faced by the medical department offices located in this area, he assured that it will be brought to the notice of higher authorities soon.

It may be mentioned that minister Letpao Haokip had chaired a review meeting of the COVID-19 tackling measures being implemented in the two districts of Chandel and Tengnoupal, in the attendance of DCs, SPs and district level officers at the Chandel Deputy Commissioner Complex on April 21 last.